Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-07-30
Tne Gathering of the Flocks at the Gospel
Well.
Lhe Causes that Keep People Away From
This Fountain,
The Lords Promises, Which Are Full of
Comfort, Grouped Together.
Christianity Affords Consolation for the
Aged and Infrnl.
sswATERING THE SHEEP"

.swATERING THE SHEEP"
THE HAMPToNs, July 1.-THE Rev.
T. De Witt Talmage, ID. d., pastor of
the Brooklyn Tabernacle, continues to
enjoy the summer in this pleasant
place. His sermon for to-day was on
the text:
We cannot, until all the locks be gathered
together, and till they roll the stone from the
wells mouth; then we water the sheep.-Gen-
esis XXX, 8.
A scene In Mesopotamia, beautifully
pastoral. A well Of water of great
value in that region. The fields around
about it white with three fiocks of
sheep lying down, waiting for the
watering. l hear their blea ing COM
ing on the bright air, and tie laughter
of young men and maidens indulging
in rustic repartee. l loot off and l
see other focks of sheep coming.
Meanwhile, Jacob, a stranger, on the
interesting Grand of looking for a
wife, comes to the well. A beautiful
shepherdess comes to the same well.
I see her approaching. followed by her
fathers flock of sheep. 1t was a men,
orable meeting. Jacob married that
shephcrdess. The Bible account of it
is: '.Jacob kissed Rachel, and lifted
up his voice and wept." 1t has Away
been a mystery to me what he found
to cry about! But before that scene
occurred, Jacob accosts the shepherds
and asks them why they postpone the
Stacking of the thirst of these sheep,
and why they did net Immediately
proceed to water them. The shepherds
reply to the effect: 1--WE are all good
aeighbors, and as a matter of courtesy
We wait until all the sheep OF the
neighborhood come up. Besides that
this stone on the wells mouth is some
what heavy, and several OF us take
hold of it and push it aside, and then
the buckets and the troughs are filled.
and the sheep are satisfied. We can
not, until all the flocks are gathered
together, and till they roll the stone
from the wells mouth; then we water
the sheep"
ii WORLDS THIRsT.
Oh, this is a thirsty world! Hot fol-
the head, and blistering for the feet
and parching for the tongue. The
worlds great want is a cool, refresh
ing, satisfying draught. We wander
around and find the cistern empty
Long and tedious drought has driec
up the worlds fountains, but nearly
nineteen centuries ago, a shepherd
with crook in shape of a cross, and
feet cut to the bleeding, explored the
desert passages Of this world, and one
day came across a we'll a thousand
feet deep, bubbling, and bright, and
opalescent, and looked to the north,
and the south, and the east, and the
west, and cried out with a voice strong
and musical that rang through the
ages: '.Ho, every one that thirsteth,
come We to the waters!"
Now a great flock of sheep to-day
gather around this Gospel well. There
are a great many thirsty souls. l won
der why the flocks of all nations do
not gatber-why so many stay thirsty;
and while i am wondering about it,
my text breaks forth in the explana-
ton. saying: awe cannot, until all
the fiscks be gathered together, and
till they roll the stone from the wells
mouth; then we wafer the sheep"
If a herd of swine come to a well
they angrily jostle each other for the
precedence; if a herd of cattle come to
a well, they hook each other back from
the water, but when a flock of sheep
come, though a hundred of them shall
be disappointed, they only express it
by sad bleetlng; they come together
peacefully. We want a great multi
tude to come around the Gospel well
1 know there are those who do not like
a crowd-they think a crowd is vul-
gar. IL they are oppressed for room
In church it makes them positively i'm
patient and belligerent. We have had
people permanently leave our church
because SO many other people come to
it. Not so did these Oriental shep-
herds. They waited until all the focks
were gathered, and the more focks
that came the better they liked it.
And SO we ought to be anxious that
ALL II PEOPLE
should come. 60 out into the high
ways and hedges and compel them to
come in. Go to the rich and tell them
they are INDECENT without the gospel Of
Jesus. Go to the poor and tell them
the ~affluence there is in Christ.
GO to the blind and tell them of the
touch that gives eternal illumination.
Go to the lame and tell them of the joy